Coin counting mechanism



May 12, 1931. v E. P. DONNELLAN 1,805,132

COIN COUNTING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 19, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY y 1931- E. P. DONNELLAN COIN COUNTING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 19, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 M n E N n 0 T Z M i a LT N a 4 y 1931- E. P. DONNELLAN com COUNTING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 19, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

Edward P1701016] law, Y

A TTORNEY T'ta-5- Patented May 12, 1931- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD P. DONNELLAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T STANDARD- JOHNSON COMPANY,

YORK

INC., 01 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW com covu'rme mnonamsu Application filed November 19, 192 Serial No 234,312.

t machines generally and especially in connection with machines adapted to both assort and count coins of mixed denominations, novel coin actuated means for operating a single register so as to accumulate the individual values and record the total monetary value of the coins passed through such machines.

Other objects of this invention, notat this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a portion of a coin assorting and counting mechanism illustrating the novel coin actuated means for operating an accumulative register made according to and embodying the principles of this invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section takenv on line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but showing the register operating means as actuated by a twenty-five cent coin; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section, taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section, showing a modified construction and arrangement of coin actuated register operating means embodying the principles of this invention; Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6-6 in Fig. 5; and Fig.

.7 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 7-7 in said Fig. v6; Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view illustrating another modified construction and arrangement of coin actuated register operating means within the the same taken on line 11-11 in Fig; 10; and Fig. 12 is a detail fragmentary view in part section and part elevation, taken on line l2-12 in Fig. 11 but showing the transfer element engaging the carry over pinion.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive I have shownone form of the novel coin actuated register operating means in operative relation to a machine for assorting and counting coins of the general type disclosed in my copending ap lication for United States Letters Patent, er. No. 156,484, filed Dec. 22,

1926, in which the mixed coins are successively/ delivered into the slots 10 of a rotatable carrier 11, and are caused to engage and ride upon a series of vertically spaced annular coin runways 12 formed in connection with a casing 13 surrounding the rotatable carrier 11, and so that the several denominations of coins travel respectively in diiferent predetermined paths of movement.

Mounted on the exterior side of said casing 13, and secured thereto by suitable fastening means 14, is a housing 15 for the register and its actuating mechanism. J ournaled in the bearing bracket 16 secured within the upper end of the housing 15 is the center spindle 17 0'5 a register device. The register device comprises the usual numbered indicating wheels consisting essentially in :1. units wheel 18, a. tens wheel 19, at hundreds wheel 20, and such additional wheels 21 as may be necessary to provide a desired totalizing capacity in the register. The respective wheels 18, 19, 20 and 21 are respectively provided with actuating gear 18', 19, 20' and ing or indicating wheels, all in a manner well known to those skilled in the register art.

the register device, with openings 15 corresponding thereto, and through which the recording numerals of said wheels may be read.

The housing 15 is provided, adjacent to said registering or indicating wheels of The register device is preferably of the set back type, wherein rotation of the center spindle 17 by an exterior crank 23, or other desired form of manipulating means, serves to re-set the indicating wheels back to normal initial zero positions whenever it may be desired to do so.

Provided in connection with said housing 15 are bearings or supports 24 to support a stationary shaft 25 in parallel relation to and below the register device. Rotatably mounted on said shaft 25 to mesh with and drive the actuating gear 18 is a transmission gear 26. Cooperating with said transmission gear- 26 is a drive pinion 27 provided with a ratchet-wheel element 28 rotatable therewith adjacent to said transmission gear 26, the latter having mounted on its body a springpressed pivoted pawl 29 which operatively engages said ratchet wheel element 28. Said drive pinion 27 and ratchet wheel 28 are rotatable on said shaft 25 independently of said transmission gear 26. Coacting with the toothed periphery of said transmission gear 26 is a yieldable detent 30, to normally retain the same against rotary displacement. except when actuated by the drive pinion and ratchet wheel element in the manner hereinafter described. Also mounted on said shaft 25 to mesh with and drive the actuating gear 19 of the tens wheel 19 is a similar transmission gear 31, and cooperating with the latter is a drive pinion 32 having the ratchet wheel element 33 rotatable therewith and engageable by a spring pressed pivoted pawl 34 with which said transmission gear 31 is furnished. Said transmission gear 31 is engaged by a yieldable detent (not shown) in the same manner and for the same purpose as is the transmission gear 26.

Suitably secured to and within the housing 15 are a pair of opposed vertically channeled guide blocks 35 adapted to provide a slideway for a units rack-plate 36 having a toothed rack portion 37 at its upper end to operatively mesh-with said drive pinion 27. Said rack-plate 36 is biased to normal downwardly drawn or retracted position by means of a pull spring 38 interconnected between its lower end and the bottom of said housing 15. In like manner, suitably secured to and within the housing 15 are a second pair of opposed vertically channeled guide blocks 39 adapted to provide a slideway for a tens rack-plate 40 having a toothed rack portion 41 at its upper end to operatively mesh with said drive pinion 32. Said rack plate 40 is biased to normal downwardl drawnor retracted position by means 0 a pull spring I 42 interconnected between its lower end and the bottom of said housing 15.

Slidably mounted in supporting ways 43 provided in the walls of the housing 15 for horizontal movement transversely through rotatably the rack-plates 36 and 40 are a series of cam rods respectively disposed at different levels corresponding to the levels of the respective vertically spaced annular coin run-ways 12 of the assorting mechanism; said cam rods ing succession, a dime cam rod 48 cooperating with the dime runway of the assorting machine; a penny cam rod 49 cooperating with the penny runway; a nickle cam rod 50 cooperating with the nickle runway; a pair of camrods 51 and52 collectively designated as quarter cam rods, the same bemg arranged in side by side relation, and being adapted .to cooperate with the quarter runway of the assorting machine; and a half-dollar coin rod 53 cooperating with the half-dollar runway of the assorting machine.

The inner ends of the respective cam rods, which are normally disposed within the respective coin runways of the assoriing machine, are suitably shaped to provide inclined or chamfered thrust pieces 54 (see Fig. 4) to lie in the path of coins propelled through said runways.

, The rack-plates 36 and 40 are provided with suitable openings to pass said cam rods therethrough. The dime cam rod 48 is pro-' vided with a single lift cam 48' to cooperate withthe tens rack-plate 40, the latter having an abutment'piece 55 normally disposed in advanceof and so to be engageable by said single lift cam 48, whereby in operation a predetermined upward stroke of said rackplate may be produced to move, through the intermediate transmission means, the tens wheel 19 of the register a single step. The penny cam rod 49 is provided with a single lift cam 49 to cooperate with the units rackplate 36, the latter having an abutment piece 56 normally disposed in advance of and so as to be engageable by said single lift cam 49, whereby in operation a predetermined upward stroke of said rack-plate 36 may be produced to move, through the intermediate transmission means, the unit wheel 18 of the register a single step. The nickle cam rod 50 is provided with a quintuple lift cam 50 to cooperate with the units rack-plate 36, the latter having an abutment piece 57 normally disposed in advance of and so as to be engageable by said quintuple lift cam 50' to produce a stroke of the rack-plate 36 adapted to move the units wheel 18 five steps. The first quarter cam rod 51 is provided with a quintuple lift cam 51 to cooperate with the units rack-plate 36, the latter having an abutment piece 58 normally dis )osed in advance of and so as to be engageal) tuple lift cam 51 to produce a stroke of the rack-plate 36 adapted to move the units wheel 18 five steps, the second quarter cam rod 52 is provided with a double lift cam 52 to cooperate with the tens rack-plate 40, the latter having an abutment piece 59 normally disposed in advance of and so as to be engageable by said double lift cam 52 to produce a stroke of rack-plate 40 adapted to move the tens wheel 19 two steps. Finally, the halfdollar cam rod 53 is provided with a quintuple lift cam 53 to cooperate with the tens rack-plate 40, the latter having an abutment piece normally disposed in advance of and so as to be engaged by said quintuple lift cam 53 to produce a stroke of the tens rackplate 40 adapted to move the tens wheel 19 five steps.

From the above description and an inspection of the drawings, it will be obvious that as a penny coin is carried around by the carrier 11 it will be caused to make a passing engagement with the cam rod 49 whereby the same is thrust outwardly so that its lift cam 49 lifts the rack-plate 36 a minimium distance. The upward stroke of the rackplate 36 causes the pinion 27 to rotate and thus rotates the ratchet wheel 28 against the pawl 29 to in turn rotate the transmission gear 26 a sufiicient distance to turn the unit wheel 18 one impulse or step, thus registering or counting the penny. After the penny passes away from engagement with the cam rod 49, the spring of the latter returns the same to inwardly drawn position to lie in the path of any succeeding penny coin, and at the same time the rack-plate 36 is retracted by its spring 38 with reverse driving effect on the pinion 27 so that the ratchet wheel 28 rides beneath the pawl 29 without moving the transmission gear 26 and unit wheel act-uating gear 18. In the same manner, the cam rod 50 when actuated by passing engagement of a nickle coin, will lift through its lift cam 50 the rack-plate 36 for a maximum stroke to transmit five unit impulses or steps to the unit wheel 18. A ten-cent coin or dime will actuate the cam rod 48 to move the rackplate 40 a minimum distance to thereby drive the pinion 32 and ratchet wheel 33 to transmit rotary movement through the pawl 31 to the transmission gear 31 to in turn rotate the tens wheel one impulse or step; and in a similar manner the half dollar coin will actuate the cam rod 53 to lift the rack-plate 40 a maximum stroke to turn the tens wheel five impulses or steps thus registering "the value of the half dollar coin. It will be understood that under successive operations,

le by said quinthe carr over mechanism of the register device will operate to total or accumulate the value of the successive coins as they pass the actuating mechanism in the manner aforesaid. To accumulate the value of the quarter dollar coins, however, it is necessary to actuate both the unit wheel 18 and the tens wheel. 19, the former five steps and the latter two steps to thereby total the sum of twenty five steps. This is accomplished by the.passing engagement of the 1-uarter dollar coins successively with the cam rods 51 and 52, which are arranged side by side with the former in advance of the latter. By this arrangement the quarter coin first strikes the cam rod 51 to thrust the same outward so that its lift cam. 51 raises the rack-plate 36 aunaximum stroke so as to transmit through the actuating mechanism five steps or impulses to the units wheel 18. As the passing quarter coin releases the cam rod 51, it is immediately moved into outward thrusting engagement with the cam rod 52 whereby its lift cam 52 raises the rack-plate 4O sufliciently to impart two in'ipnlses or step movements to the tens wheel 19. It will be obvious'that if, in the operation of the units wheel 18 five steps by the actuation of the -am rod 51, the position of said units wheel 18 is such that the five will bring its carry over mechanism into operation, the carried over impulse thus imparted to the tens wheel 19 may and will take place before the cam rod 52 is reached by the quarter coin to produce the additional two impulses or steps of the tens wheel necessary to register the value of the coin, and therefore the register device will in all cases be properly actuated with respect to the several carry over mechanisms thereof to faithfully and accurately accumulate or add to the produced record the value of each succeeding coin moving through the assortcr head.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive of the drawings, I have illustrated therein a slightly modified arrangen'i'ent of the register actuating mechanism, in which the register device and. intermediate transmission gearing is substantially the same as heretofore described, as will be evident by the application in said Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive of corresponding reference characters, the chief difference being a slightly different disposition of the mechanism to permit the cam rods to be actuated by pivoted levers 61. which are fulcrumed on pivot pins 62, and all arranged so that the inner ends 61' of said levers 61 extend through openings 63 in the casing 13 so as to respectively lie in the path of the several coin runways of the assorted head.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings, I have illustrated therein a modified arrangement of rack-plate connection intermediate the transmission gears 26 and 31 and the cam rods. In this modified arrangement in place of the forms of rack-plates above described, I provide a units rack-plate 6- vertically movable in and between guide members 65, but which in addition to the vertical movements are also capable of lateral oscillatable movements relative to fulcrum points 66 with which said guide members 65 are provided. A similarly modified tens rack-plate 67 is provided. ixed in connection with the transmission gear 26 so as to turn therewith is a pinion 68 with which the toothed rack portion 64' of the units rackplate 64 cooperates. A leaf spring 69 yieldably presses the rack plate 64 and its rack portion 64 towards the pinion 68. In like.

manner, the tens rack-plate 67 is yieldably pressed toward a pinion 70 which is fixed in connection with said transmission gear 31. The cam rods cooperate with the respective rack plate 64 and 67 in the same maimer as already above described, and the transmission gears 26 and 31 cooperate with the actuating gears 18' and 19 of the indicating wheels 18 and 19 also in the same manner as already above described. In the operation of the rack-plates 64 or 67, on their up strokes under the impulsion of the cam rods, their rack portions will be maintained in engage ment with the respective pinions 68 and 70, but on the downward stroke or retraction of said rack portions, the same will oscillate or swing away from the pinions so as to permit the latter to remain immovable, the arrangement being such that the gears 26 and 31 are driven in operative direction only. Detent devices 71 are engaged with said pinions to prevent reverse rotation of the same and the transmission gears connected therewith when the rack-plates are retracted. This modified arrangement permits of the omission of the pawl and ratchet connection between the pinions and transmission gears of the previously described forms of register actuating mechanism. e

From the foregoing description it will be clearly understood that the mechanism according to this invention will accurately register by accumulative method the values of coins successively passed through the mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention and have described the same in the above specification merely in preferred forms and by way of examples, but obviously many alterations and variations may be made therein and in its mode of application, which will still be comprised within its spirit. Generally speaking, I desire it to be understood-that I do not limit myself to any specific form or embodiment, except in so far as is specified in the herefollowmg claims.

1. An accumulating register for counting coins according to their values, comprising a series of registering wheels haying actuating gears and carry over means intermediate adjacent wheels, a vertically reciprocable units rack plate, intermediate transmission means between the. actuating gear of the units registering wheel and said units rack plate, a vertically reciprocable tens rack plate, intermediate transmission means between the actuating gear of the tens registerin wheel and said tens rack plate, a series of slidable cam rods corres onding to the respective denominations oi coins to be counted and adapted to be actuated by the coins, said cam rods having lift cam elements directly cooperating with one or the other of said rack plates according to the denomination of coin by which a particular cam rod is actuated, said lift cam elements being of various sizes proportional to the value of the different coins, said rack plates having abutments engageable by said lift cam elements.

2. An accumulating register for counting coins according to their values, comprising a series of registering Wheels having actuating gears and carry over means intermediate adjacent wheels, a vertically reciprocable units rack plate, intermediate transmission means between the actuating gear of the units registering wheel and said units rack plate, a vertically reciprocable tens rack plate, intermediate transmission means between the actuating gear of the tens registering wheel and said tens rack plate, a series of slidable cam rods corresponding to the respective denominations of coins to be counted and arranged to be actuated by the coins counted, said cam rods being respectively adapted to directly engage and operate one or the other of said rack plates, said cam rods comprising a penny cam rod having a cam portion sized to operate the units rack plate to move the units registering wheel one step, a nickel cam rod having a cam portion sized to operate the units rack plate to move the units registering wheel five steps, a dime cam rod having a cam portion sized to operate the tens rack plate to move the tens registering wheel one step; a pair of quarter cam rods one having a cam portion to engage and sized to operate the units rack plate to move the units registering 'Wheel five steps and the other having a cam portion to engage and sized to operate the tens rack plate to move the tens registering wheel two steps, and a half dollar cam rod having a cam portion sized to operate the tens rack plate to move the tens registering wheel five steps.

3. An accumulating register device for counting coins according to their values, said register device having a series of registering wheels provided with operating gears and carry-over means intermediate adjacent wheels, transmission means including vertically reciprocable racks and pinions actuated thereby to drive said operating gears of said units and tens wheels only of the register device, cam rods reciprocable at right angles to said racks and adapted to directly engage and actuate the latter, said cam rods corresponding to difierent denominations of coins and having their inner ends arranged to be actuated by coins to be counted, certain of said cam rods having means to directly actuate the rack of the units wheel transmission means and others of said cam rods hav; ing means to directly actuate the rack of the tens wheel transmission means.

2. An accumulating register device for counting coins according to their values, said register device havin a series of registering Wheels provided wit operating gears and carry-over means intermediate adjacent Wheels, transmission means including .Vertically reciprocahle racks and pinions actuated thereby to drive said operating gears of said units and tens wheels only to the register device, cam rods reciprocable at right angles to said racks and adapted to directly engage and actuate the latter, said cam rods corresponding to ditferent denominations of coins and having their inner ends arranged to be actuated by coins to he counted, certain of said cam rods having means to directly actu ate the rack of the units wheel transmission means and others of said cam rods having means to directly actuate'the rack of the tens Wheel transmission means, said rack actuating means of said cam rods comprising cam elements proportional to the value of the coins toy which given cam rods are moved, whereby the register device will be operated one step or a plurality of steps according to the value of the coins producing such operative cam rod movements.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth alcove l have hereunto set my hand this 17th day or November, 192?.

DONNELLAN, 

